name	Jean Hersholt
birth name	Jean Pierre Hersholt
birth date	July 12, 1886
birth place	Copenhagen, Denmark
death date	June 02, 1956
death place	Hollywood, California, U.S.
years active	1906–1955
occupation	Actor
spouse	Via Hersholt (1914-1956) }}

Jean Pierre Hersholt (12 July 1886 – 2 June 1956) was a Danish-born actor who lived in the United States, where he was a leading film and radio talent, best known for his 17 years starring on radio in ''Dr. Christian'' and for playing Shirley Temple's grandfather in ''Heidi''. Asked how to pronounce his name, he told ''The Literary Digest'', "In English, ''her'sholt''; in Danish, ''hairs'hult''." Of his total credits, 75 were silent films and 65 were sound films. He appeared in 140 films and directed four.

Early life

Hersholt was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of Claire (née Petersen) and Henry Hersholt, actors who worked with the Danish Folk Theatre. Hersholt toured Europe performing with his family when he was young. He then graduated from the Copenhagen Art School. His first two films were made in Germany in 1906. He emigrated to the US in 1913, and the remainder of his movies were made in America.

Career

Hersholt's best remembered film roles included Marcus Schouler in Erich von Stroheim's 1924 in ''Greed'' and Shirley Temple's beloved grandfather in the 1937 film version of the 1880 children's book, ''Heidi'', written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. During his long career in the movies, his roles ran the gamut from early silent villains to secondary parts in which his mild Danish accent and pleasant voice suited him to depict a succession of benevolent fathers, doctors, professors and European noblemen. Hersholt's last role was in the 1955 movie ''Run for Cover''.

In ''The Country Doctor'' (1936), a movie starring the Dionne quintuplets, Hersholt portrayed Dr. John Luke, a character based on Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, the Canadian obstetrician who delivered and cared for the Dionne Quintuplets. Two sequels followed. Hersholt wanted to do the role on radio but could not get the rights. He decided to create his own doctor character for radio, and since he was a Hans Christian Andersen enthusiast, he borrowed that name for his character of the philosophical Dr. Paul Christian who practiced in the Midwest town of River's End with the assistance of Nurse Judy Price. With the opening theme music of "Rainbow on the River", ''Dr. Christian'' was introduced on CBS on November 7, 1937 on ''The Vaseline Program'', aka ''Dr. Christian's Office'' and later ''Dr. Christian'', sponsored by Chesebrough Manufacturing's Vaseline.

The small-town physician's good humor, innate common sense and scientific training helped drive off a series of villainous types who tried to interfere with the peaceful lifestyle of River's End. Produced by Dorothy McCann, the radio series became a popular long-run hit, continuing on CBS until 6 January 1954, with Hersholt so strongly identified with the role that he received mail asking for medical advice. There were various spin-offs as Hersholt co-wrote a Dr. Christian novel and made a series of six family films as Christian from 1939 to 1941. In 1956, his Dr. Christian character made the transition to television, scripted by Gene Roddenberry, with Macdonald Carey as his nephew Dr. Mark Christian. From the '30s through the '50s, Neil Reagan, brother of Ronald Reagan, directed the radio series Dr. Christian, starring Jean Hersholt.

In 1939 Hersholt helped form the Motion Picture Relief Fund to support industry employees with medical care when they were down on their luck. The fund was used to create the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, and it led to the creation in 1956 of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary Academy Award given to an ''"individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry"''.

Hersholt's large collection of Hans Christian Andersen books is now in the Library of Congress. He translated over 160 of Andersen's fairy tales into the English language. These were published in 1949 in six volumes as ''The Complete Andersen''. His Andersen translations are regarded as the best English versions in existence. Hersholt was appointed a knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1948 partly due to this endeavor.

Family

Hersholt was married to his wife, Via, in 1914. They had one child: Allan. He was the paternal half-uncle of the late actor Leslie Nielsen and former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Erik Nielsen.

Death

Hersholt died of cancer in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, and is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. His grave is marked with a statue of Klods-Hans (English: Clumsy Hans), a Hans Christian Andersen character who left home to find his way in the world — much as Hersholt himself had done.

Honors and awards

Hersholt was honored for his services to the industry twice with an honorary Academy Award, first in 1940 and the second time in 1950, and in his honor the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was named by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6501 Hollywood Boulevard for his work in motion pictures and another one at 6701 Hollywood Boulevard for his work in radio.

References

External links

Jean Hersholt: The Complete Andersen

Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: ''Dr. Christian''

Free OTR: ''Dr. Christian'' (38 1937-39 episodes)

Category:1886 births Category:1956 deaths Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients Category:American people of Danish descent Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Category:Cancer deaths in California Category:Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners Category:Danish film actors Category:Danish emigrants to the United States Category:Danish silent film actors Category:Danish translators Category:Presidents of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Category:Translators from Danish Category:Translators to English Category:Hans Christian Andersen

ca:Jean Hersholt da:Jean Hersholt de:Jean Hersholt es:Jean Hersholt fr:Jean Hersholt it:Jean Hersholt hu:Jean Hersholt nl:Jean Hersholt pl:Jean Hersholt pt:Jean Hersholt ru:Хершолт, Джин sr:Џин Хершолт fi:Jean Hersholt sv:Jean Hersholt

name	Jerry Lewis
birth name	Joseph Levitch
birth date	March 16, 1926
birth place	Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
occupation	Comedian, actor, film producer, writer, film director, singer, national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association
years active	1931–present
other names	The King of ComedyLe Roi du CrazyPicchiatello
spouse	Patti Palmer (1944-1980)SanDee Pitnick (1983-present)
website	jerrylewiscomedy.com
signature	JerryLewis.png }}

Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926) is an American comedian, actor, film producer, screenwriter, film director and singer. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis. In addition to the duo's popular nightclub work, they starred in a successful series of comedy films for Paramount Pictures.

Lewis is also known for his charity fund-raising telethons and position as national chairman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Lewis has won several awards for lifetime achievements from The American Comedy Awards, The Golden Camera, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and The Venice Film Festival, and he has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2005, he received the Governors Award of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Board of Governors, which is the highest Emmy Award presented. On February 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Lewis the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Early life

He was born Joseph Levitch (some sources say Jerome Levitch) in Newark, New Jersey, to Russian Jewish parents. His father, Daniel Levitch, was a Master of Ceremonies and vaudeville entertainer who used the professional name Danny Lewis, His mother, Rachel ("Rae") Levitch ( Brodsky), was a piano player for a radio station.

Lewis started performing at age five and would often perform alongside his parents in the Catskill Mountains in New York State. By fifteen he had developed his "Record Act", in which he exaggeratedly mimed the lyrics to songs on a phonograph. He used the professional name Joey Lewis, but soon changed it to Jerry Lewis to avoid confusion with comedian Joe E. Lewis and heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis. He graduated from Irvington High School in Irvington, New Jersey.

Career

Teaming with Dean Martin

thumb|With Dean MartinLewis initially gained fame with singer Dean Martin, who served as straight man to Lewis's zany antics in the Martin and Lewis comedy team. They distinguished themselves from the majority of comedy acts of the 1940s by relying on the interaction of the two comics instead of planned skits. In the late 1940s, they quickly rose to national prominence, first with their popular nightclub act, next as stars of their own radio program.

They then made appearances on early live television, debuting first on the June 20, 1948 debut broadcast of ''Toast of the Town'' with Ed Sullivan on the CBS TV Network (later the ''Ed Sullivan Show''), followed on October 3, 1948 by an appearance on the NBC TV series ''Welcome Aboard'', then as the first of a series of hosts of ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' in 1950, and finally as film stars in a string of successes for Paramount Pictures.

However, as Martin's roles in their films became less important, the partnership became strained. Martin's diminished participation became an embarrassment in 1954, when ''Look'' magazine used a publicity photo of the team for the magazine cover, but cropped Martin out of the photo. The partnership finally ended on July 24, 1956. Attesting the team's popularity, DC Comics published the best-selling ''The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis'' comic books from 1952 to 1957. The series continued a year after the team broke up as DC Comics then featured Lewis solo, until 1971, in ''The Adventures of Jerry Lewis'' comic books. In this latter series, Lewis was sometimes featured with Superman, Batman, and various other DC Comics heroes and villains.

Both Martin and Lewis went on to successful solo careers, but for years neither would comment on the split, nor consider a reunion. They made at least a couple of public appearances together between the breakup and 1961, but then were not seen together in public until a surprise appearance by Martin on Lewis's Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon in 1976, arranged by Frank Sinatra.

The pair eventually reconciled in the late 1980s after the death of Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin. The two men were seen together on stage in Las Vegas when Lewis pushed out Dean's birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to him. In Lewis's 2005 book ''Dean and Me (A Love Story)'', Lewis wrote of his kinship with Martin, who had died in 1995.

Solo achievements

After the split from Martin, Lewis remained at Paramount and became a major comedy star with his first film as a solo comic, ''The Delicate Delinquent'' (1957). Teaming with director Frank Tashlin, whose background as a Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon director suited Lewis's brand of humor, he starred in five more films, and even appeared uncredited as Itchy McRabbitt in ''Li'l Abner'' (1959).

Lewis tried his hand at releasing an album in the 1950s, having a chart hit with the song "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" (a song largely associated with Al Jolson and later re-popularized by Judy Garland) as well as the song, "It All Depends on You" in 1958. He eventually released his own album titled, ''Jerry Lewis Just Sings''. By the end of his contract with producer Hal B. Wallis, Lewis had several productions of his own under his belt.

His first three efforts, ''The Delicate Delinquent'' (1957), ''Rock-A-Bye Baby'' (1958) and ''The Geisha Boy'' (1958), were all efforts to move away from Wallis, who Lewis felt was hindering his comedy. In 1960, Lewis finished his contract with Wallis with ''Visit to a Small Planet'' (1960), and wrapped up work on his own production, ''Cinderfella''. ''Cinderfella'' was postponed for a Christmas 1960 release, and Paramount, needing a quickie feature film for its summer 1960 schedule, held Lewis to his contract to produce one. Lewis came up with ''The Bellboy''. Using the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami as his setting—and on a small budget, with a very tight shooting schedule, and no script—Lewis shot the film by day and performed at the hotel in the evenings. Bill Richmond collaborated with him on the many sight gags.

In a 2005 interview, Lewis revealed that Paramount were not happy financing a 'silent movie' and withdrew backing. Lewis used his own funds to cover the $950,000 budget. Much to Paramount's dismay, the movie had grossed in excess of $200,000,000 by the time of the interview. During production Lewis developed the technique of using video cameras and multiple closed circuit monitors, which allowed him to review his performance instantly. His techniques and methods, documented in his book and his USC class, enabled him to complete most of his films on time and under budget.

Later, he incorporated videotape, and as more portable and affordable equipment became available, this technique would become an industry standard known as video assist. Lewis followed ''The Bellboy'' by directing several more films which he co-wrote with Richmond, including ''The Ladies Man'' (1961), ''The Errand Boy'' (1961), ''The Patsy'' (1964) and the well-known comedy hit, ''The Nutty Professor'' (1963), which was later successfully remade as a vehicle for Eddie Murphy in 1996 and followed by a sequel in 2000, ''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' both executive produced by Lewis for Universal Pictures and Image Entertainment.

Lewis occasionally handed directing reins to Frank Tashlin, who directed several of his productions, including ''It's Only Money'' (1962) and ''Who's Minding the Store?'' (1963). In 1965, Lewis directed and (along with Bill Richmond) wrote the comedy film ''The Family Jewels'' about a young heiress who must choose among six uncles, one of whom is up to no good and out to harm the girl's beloved bodyguard who practically raised her. Lewis played all six uncles and the bodyguard.

By 1966, Lewis, now 40, was no longer an angular juvenile and his routines seemed more labored. His box office appeal waned to the point where Paramount Pictures new executives felt no further need for the Lewis comedies. Undaunted, Lewis packed up and went to Columbia Pictures, where he made several more comedies. Lewis taught a film directing class at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for a number of years; his students included Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

In 1968, he screened Spielberg's early film, ''Amblin''' and told his students, "That's what filmmaking is all about." Lewis starred in and directed the unreleased ''The Day the Clown Cried'' in 1972. The film was a drama set in a Nazi concentration camp. Lewis rarely discusses the experience, but once explained why the film has not been released, by suggesting litigation over post-production financial difficulties. However, he admitted during his book tour for ''Dean and Me'' that a major factor for the film's burial is that he is not proud of the effort.

Lewis also appeared in stage musicals. In 1976, he appeared in a revival of ''Hellzapoppin''' with Lynn Redgrave, but it closed on the road before reaching Broadway. In 1994, he made his Broadway debut, as a replacement cast member playing the Devil in a revival of the baseball musical, ''Damn Yankees'', choreographed by future film director Rob Marshall (''Chicago''). Lewis returned to the screen in 1981 with ''Hardly Working'', a film he both directed and starred in.

Despite being panned by the critics, the film did eventually earn $50 million. He followed this up with a critically acclaimed performance in Martin Scorsese's 1983 film, ''The King of Comedy'', in which Lewis plays a late-night TV host plagued by obsessive fans (played by Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhard). The role had been based on and originally offered to Johnny Carson. Lewis continued doing work in small films in the 1990s, most notably his supporting roles in 1994's ''Arizona Dream'' and 1995's ''Funny Bones''. He appeared on television on one episode of ''Mad About You'''s first season in 1992, playing an eccentric billionaire. In 2008, Lewis reprised his role as Prof. Kelp in ''The Nutty Professor'', his first CGI animated film and follow-up to his original 1963 film co-starring Drake Bell as his nephew, Harold Kelp.

On television, Lewis starred in three different programs called ''The Jerry Lewis Show''. The first was a two-hour Saturday night variety show on ABC in the fall of 1963. The lavish, big-budget production failed to find an audience and was canceled after 13 weeks. His next show was a one-hour variety show on NBC in 1967-69. A test of a syndicated talk show for Metromedia in 1984 was not continued beyond the scheduled five shows. Lewis and his popular movie characters were animated in the Filmation cartoon series, ''Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down''. First aired on ABC in 1970, it lasted only one season and eighteen episodes. The show starred David Lander (''Laverne & Shirley'') as the voice of the animated Lewis character.

Lewis has long remained popular in Europe: he was consistently praised by some French critics in the influential magazine ''Cahiers du Cinéma'' for his absurd comedy, in part because he had gained respect as an ''auteur'' who had total control over all aspects of his films, comparable to Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock. In March 2006, the French Minister of Culture awarded Lewis the Légion d'honneur, calling him the "French people's favorite clown". Liking Lewis has long been a common stereotype about the French in the minds of many English-speakers, and is often the object of jokes in Anglosphere pop culture.

In 1994, the Columbia Pictures film, ''North'' featured footage of Lewis's classic movies. In June 2006, Lewis first announced plans to write and direct a stage musical adaptation of his 1963 film, ''The Nutty Professor''. In October 2008, in an interview on Melbourne radio, Lewis said he had signed composers Marvin Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes to write the show for a Broadway opening in November 2010. In 2009, Lewis traveled to the Cannes Film Festival to announce his return to the silver screen after a 13 year absence for the film ''Max Rose'', his first leading role since Martin Scorsese's ''The King of Comedy''. In early 2011, Lewis had signed a deal with Artificial Intelligence Entertainment and Capital Films to remake the three of his 60s cinema classics ''The Bellboy'', ''Cinderfella'' and ''The Family Jewels''. Lewis will serve as co-executive producer of the films.

On May 16, 2011, it was originally announced by MDA that the 2011 edition of his annual telethon will be Lewis' last as host, after hosting the annual event since 1954, he will continue to serve as the association's national chairman. Soon afterward, however, Lewis denied that he was leaving the telethon at all, but on August 3, 2011, the MDA announced that Lewis resigned as chairman and telethon host, the circumstances leading to his resignation unknown.

Lewis has been criticized by members of the disability rights community. In 1990, he wrote a first-person essay entitled "If I Had Muscular Dystrophy" for ''Parade'' magazine, in which he characterized those with muscular dystrophy as "being half a person". Many in the disabled community viewed his remarks as prejudicial, contributing to the idea that people with disabilities are "childlike, helpless, hopeless, non functioning and noncontributing members of society". Members of the disability rights community object to Lewis receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

In February 2000, Lewis stunned an audience gathered to honor his work at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival by saying he did not like female comics. Lewis said, "I don't like any female comedians. A woman doing comedy doesn't offend me, but sets me back a bit. I, as a viewer, have trouble with it. I think of her as a producing machine that brings babies in the world." He later defended the remark, saying it was taken wildly out of context, and added that he made 11 movies with comic character actress Kathleen Freeman.

During the 2007 Labor Day Telethon, Lewis almost let slip the word "faggot" while live on air. While talking to a cameraman, he joked: "Oh, your family has come to see you. You remember Bart, your oldest son, Jesse, the illiterate fag--no...", at which point he turned away from the camera.

Film portrayal

Lewis was portrayed by Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes (''Will and Grace'') in the 2002 made for television movie ''Martin and Lewis''. The film depicts Lewis' partnership with Dean Martin (played by Jeremy Northam). Hayes met Lewis during shooting of the televised film and went on to receive a Screen Actors Guild Award for best actor.

Personal life

Family

Lewis has been married twice: Patti Palmer (née Esther Calonico), a former singer with Ted Fio Rito; married October 3, 1944, divorced September 1980. SanDee Pitnick; married February 13, 1983; a 32-year-old Las Vegas dancer. They were married in Key Biscayne, Florida; Lewis was 56.

He had six sons and one adopted daughter: Gary Harold Lee Levitch was born on July 31, 1945 to Lewis and Patti Palmer. Gary Levitch's name was subsequently legally changed to Gary Lewis. As a 1960s pop musician, Gary Lewis had a string of hits with his group Gary Lewis & the Playboys.

Ronald Lewis; adopted July 1950 with Patti Palmer

Scott Lewis; born February 1956 to Patti Palmer

Christopher Joseph Lewis; born October 1957 to Patti Palmer

Anthony Lewis; born October 1959 to Patti Palmer

Joseph Lewis; born January 1964 to Patti Palmer, died October 24, 2009 from a narcotics overdose. Danielle Sarah Lewis (daughter); adopted March 1992 with SanDee Pitnick.

Lewis currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Health concerns

thumb|Jerry Lewis, 2005Lewis has suffered years of back pain after an injury that almost left him paralyzed when he did a comedic pratfall from a piano on March 20, 1965 while performing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.

He became addicted to the pain killer Percodan, but says he has been off the drug since 1978 and has not taken one since. In April 2002, Lewis had a "Synergy" neurostimulator, developed by Medtronic, implanted in his back, which has helped reduce the discomfort. He is now one of Medtronic's leading spokespeople.

In December 1982, Lewis suffered a serious heart attack and then a second minor heart attack on June 11, 2006, at the end of a cross-country commercial airline flight en route home from New York City. It was discovered that he had pneumonia as well as a severely damaged heart. He underwent a cardiac catheterization and two stents were inserted into one of his coronary arteries, which had become 90% blocked. The surgery resulted in a return of blood flow to his heart and has allowed him to continue his rebound from earlier lung problems. Having the cardiac catheterization also meant canceling several major events from his schedule, but Lewis fully recuperated in a matter of weeks.

In 1999, his Australian tour was cut short when he had to be hospitalized in Darwin with viral meningitis. He was ill for more than five months. It was reported in the Australian press that he had failed to pay his medical bills; however, Lewis maintained that the payment confusion was the fault of his health insurer. The resulting negative publicity caused him to sue his insurer for US$100 million.

Lewis has had prostate cancer, diabetes I, and pulmonary fibrosis, and has had at least two heart attacks. A third heart attack, claimed to have been sustained while filming ''Cinderfella'' in 1960, has not been confirmed officially. Prednisone treatment in the early 2000s for pulmonary fibrosis resulted in weight gain and a noticeable change in his appearance.

In September 2001, he was unable to perform at a planned charity event produced by comedian Steven Alan Green at the London Palladium. (Green's take on the event was turned into a one-person show, ''I Eat People Like You For Breakfast'', which Green performed at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival.) Some months thereafter, Lewis began an arduous, months-long therapy which weaned him off prednisone and enabled him to return to work.

Charity work

Throughout his career, Lewis has supported fundraising for research into muscular dystrophy. From the early 1950s until 2011, he served as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Lewis began hosting telethons to benefit MDA in 1952. From 1966 to 2010 he hosted the annual ''Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon'', since renamed the ''MDA Labor Day Telethon''. It has raised over $2.6 billion. On August 3, 2011, it was announced that Lewis would no longer host any further telethons.

Honors and awards

;1950s

1952 – Winner of the special Photoplay Award 1952 – Nominee for Best Comedian or Comedienne 1954 – Winner for the Most Cooperative Actor, Golden Apple Award

;1960s

1965 – Winner, Golden Laurel, Special Award – Family Comedy King

;1970s

1977 – Nominee, the Nobel Peace Prize, by US Representative Les Aspin. Aspin noted that in 11 years, the ''MDA Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon'' had raised more than $95 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

;1980s

1983 – Nominee, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for ''The King of Comedy'', British Academy Film Awards

;1990s

1997 – Winner, Lifetime Achievement Award, American Comedy Awards

;2000s

2004 – Winner, Career Achievement Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Association

2005 – Winner, Governors Award, Primetime Emmy Awards 2006 – Winner, Satellite Award for Outstanding Guest Star on TV's ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''

2009 – Induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame

2009 – Winner, Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 81st Academy Awards

;2010s

2010 - Received Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Chapman University during the 2010 MDA Telethon.

2011 – Recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor

Bibliography

''The Total Film-Maker'' by Jerry Lewis. New York: Random House, 1971, ISBN 0-394-46757-4

''Jerry Lewis: In Person'' by Jerry Lewis with Herb Gluck. New York: Atheneum, 1982, ISBN 0-689-11290-4

''Dean & Me (A Love Story)'' by Jerry Lewis with James Kaplan. New York: Doubleday, 2005, ISBN 0-7679-2086-4

In popular culture

In ''Back to the Future'', Dr. Emmett L. Brown mentions Jerry Lewis as the supposed Vice President of the United States in 1985 after Marty McFly mentions Ronald Reagan is President in 1985.

Voice actor Hank Azaria cites Lewis as an inspiration for his character Professor Frink from ''The Simpsons''. In a 2003 episode, Lewis actually voiced the character of Frink's father.

A plotline of an episode of ''Seinfeld'' revolved around Jerry searching for his cufflinks which had been worn by Jerry Lewis in the film ''Cinderfella''. He plans to wear them to a party Lewis is attending, using them as a conversation starter.

Before Tom Lehrer introduces the song "National Brotherhood Week", he mentions the non-existent "Make Fun of the Handicapped Week", that Frank Fontaine and Jerry Lewis are in charge of as you Know." (Source: "That was the Year that Was" Tom Lehrer. 1965.)

See also

Jerry Lewis filmography and television appearances

MDA Labor Day Telethon

Martin and Lewis

References

Further reading

''Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime (Especially Himself): The Story of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis'' by Arthur Marx, New York, NY: Hawthorn Books, 1974, ISBN 978-0801524301

''The Jerry Lewis Films'' by James L. Neibaur and Ted Okuda (Lewis is quoted throughout). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1994, ISBN 0-89950-961-4

''King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis'' by Shawn Anthony Levy. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0-312-13248-4

''That Kid: The Story of Jerry Lewis'' by Richard Gehman. New York: Avon Books, 1964.

External links

Jerry Lewis interview for the Archive of American Television

Official Jerry Lewis Website

Drum Solo Battle (1955) with Buddy Rich at DrummerWorld

;Videos

2009 Oscars Jean Hersholt Award

Colgate Comedy Hour, 1950s

Scene from ''The Bellboy''

With drummer Buddy Rich, 1965

Typewriter scene on Colgate Hour

Category:1926 births Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American television personalities Category:Cancer survivors Category:Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Category:Decca Records artists Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish comedians Category:Liberty Records artists Category:Living people Category:People from Irvington, New Jersey Category:People from Newark, New Jersey Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:Vaudeville performers Category:Jewish activists

an:Jerry Lewis bg:Джери Люис ca:Jerry Lewis cs:Jerry Lewis da:Jerry Lewis de:Jerry Lewis es:Jerry Lewis fa:جری لوئیس fr:Jerry Lewis is:Jerry Lewis it:Jerry Lewis he:ג'רי לואיס nl:Jerry Lewis ja:ジェリー・ルイス pl:Jerry Lewis pt:Jerry Lewis ro:Jerry Lewis ru:Джерри Льюис sq:Jerry Lewis simple:Jerry Lewis sl:Jerry Lewis fi:Jerry Lewis sv:Jerry Lewis ta:ஜெர்ரி லுவிஸ் tr:Jerry Lewis

name	Quincy Jones
background	non_performing_personnel
birth name	Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr.
alias	Leigh Warren
born	March 14, 1933Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
origin	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
instrument	Trumpet, French horn, drums, vocals, piano synthesizer
genre	R&B;, funk, soul, big band, swing, jazz, bossa nova, hip-hop, rock n roll
occupation	Musician, conductor, producer, arranger, composer, film composer
years active	1951–present
label	Columbia, Mercury, Qwest
associated acts	Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Aaliyah, Michael Jackson, Rod Temperton, The Brothers Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Eddie Van Halen, Dinah Washington, Dean Martin, Patti Austin, Tevin Campbell, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Will Smith, 2Pac, Trey Songz
website	}}

Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991. He is particularly recognized as the producer of the album ''Thriller'', by pop icon Michael Jackson, which has sold more than 110 million copies worldwide, and as the producer and conductor of the charity song “We Are the World”. He has also done production work on the new Jay-Z/ Kanye West collaborative album , Watch the Throne.

In 1968, Jones and his songwriting partner Bob Russell became the first African Americans to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song ''The Eyes of Love'' from the Universal Pictures film ''Banning (film)''. That same year, he became the first African American to be nominated twice within the same year when he was nominated for Best Original Score for his work on the music of the 1967 film ''In Cold Blood''. In 1971, Jones would receive the honor of becoming the first African American to be named musical director/conductor of the Academy Awards ceremony. He was the first African American to win the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 1995. He is tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as the most Oscar-nominated African American, each of them having seven nominations. At the 2008 BET Awards, Quincy Jones was presented with the Humanitarian Award. He was played by Larenz Tate in the 2004 biopic about Ray Charles, ''Ray''.

Early life

Jones was born in Chicago, the oldest son of Sarah Frances (née Wells), an apartment complex manager and bank executive who suffered from schizophrenia, and Quincy Delightt Jones, Sr., a semi-professional baseball player and carpenter. Jones discovered music in grade school at Raymond Elementary School on Chicago's South Side and took up the trumpet. When he was 10, his family moved to Bremerton, Washington and he attended Seattle's Garfield High School. It was in Seattle that Jones first met a 17-year-old Ray Charles. He then attended Somerset Academy.

In 1951, Jones won a scholarship to the Schillinger House (now Berklee College of Music) in Boston, Massachusetts. However, he abandoned his studies when he received an offer to tour as a trumpeter with the bandleader Lionel Hampton. While Jones was on the road with Hampton, he displayed a gift for arranging songs. Jones relocated to New York City, where he received a number of freelance commissions arranging songs for artists like Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa, and his close friend Ray Charles.

Musical career

In 1956, Jones toured again as a trumpeter and musical director of the Dizzy Gillespie Band on a tour of the Middle East and South America sponsored by the United States Information Agency. Upon his return to the United States, Jones got a contract from ABC-Paramount Records and commenced his recording career as the leader of his own band.

In 1957, Quincy settled in Paris where he studied composition and theory with Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen. He also performed at the Paris Olympia. Jones became music director at Barclay Disques, the French distributor for Mercury Records.

During the 1950s, Jones successfully toured throughout Europe with a number of jazz orchestras. As musical director of Harold Arlen's jazz musical ''Free and Easy'', Quincy Jones took to the road again. A European tour closed in Paris in February 1960. With musicians from the Arlen show, Jones formed his own big band, called The Jones Boys, with 18 artists—plus their families—in tow. The band included jazz greats Eddie Jones and fellow trumpeter Reunald Jones, and organized a tour of North America and Europe. Though the European and American concerts met enthusiastic audiences and sparkling reviews, concert earnings could not support a band of this size, and poor budget planning made it an economic disaster; the band dissolved and the fallout left Jones in a financial crisis. Quoted in ''Musician'' magazine, Jones said about his ordeal, "We had the best jazz band in the planet, and yet we were literally starving. That's when I discovered that there was ''music'', and there was the ''music business''. If I were to survive, I would have to learn the difference between the two." Irving Green, head of Mercury Records, got Jones back on his feet with a personal loan and a new job as the musical director of the company's New York division, where he worked with Doug Moody, who would later go on to form Mystic Records . In 1964, Jones was promoted to vice-president of the company, thus becoming the first African American to hold such an executive position in a white-owned record company.

In that same year, Quincy Jones turned his attention to another musical arena that had long been closed to blacks—the world of film scores. At the invitation of director Sidney Lumet, he composed the music for ''The Pawnbroker''. It was the first of his 33 major motion picture scores.

Following the success of ''The Pawnbroker'', Jones left Mercury Records and moved to Los Angeles. After his score for ''The Slender Thread'', starring Sidney Poitier, he was in constant demand as a composer. His film credits in the next five years included ''Walk, Don't Run'', ''In Cold Blood'', ''In the Heat of the Night'', ''A Dandy in Aspic'', ''Mackenna's Gold'', The Italian Job, ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'', ''The Lost Man'', ''Cactus Flower'', and ''The Getaway''. In addition, he also composed The Streetbeater, which is the familiar theme song for the television sitcom ''Sanford and Son'', starring close friend Redd Foxx.

In the 1960s, Jones worked as an arranger for some of the most important artists of the era, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and Dinah Washington. Jones's solo recordings also garnered acclaim, including ''Walking in Space'', ''Gula Matari'', ''Smackwater Jack'', ''You've Got It Bad, Girl'', ''Body Heat'', ''Mellow Madness'', and ''I Heard That!!''.

He is well known for his 1962 tune "Soul Bossa Nova", which originated on the ''Big Band Bossa Nova'' album. "Soul Bossa Nova" was a theme for the 1998 World Cup, the Canadian game show ''Definition'', the Woody Allen film ''Take the Money and Run'' and the Mike Myers movie ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'', and was sampled by Canadian hip hop group Dream Warriors for their song, "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style".

Jones was also responsible for producing all four singles for Lesley Gore selling million during the early and mid-sixties, including "It's My Party" (UK #8; US #1), "Judy's Turn To Cry" (US #5), "She's A Fool" (also a US #5) in 1963, and "You Don't Own Me" (US #2 for four weeks in 1964). He continued to produce for Lesley through to 1966.

Jones's 1981 album ''The Dude'' yielded multiple hit singles, including "Ai No Corrida" (a remake of a song by Chaz Jankel), "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways", the latter two featuring James Ingram on lead vocals and marking Ingram's first hits.

In 1985, Jones scored the Steven Spielberg film adaptation of ''The Color Purple''. He and Jerry Goldsmith (from ''Twilight Zone: The Movie'') are the only composers besides John Williams to have scored a Spielberg theatrical film. After the 1985 American Music Awards ceremony, Jones used his influence to draw most of the major American recording artists of the day into a studio to lay down the track "We Are the World" to raise money for the victims of Ethiopia's famine. When people marveled at his ability to make the collaboration work, Jones explained that he'd taped a simple sign on the entrance: "Check Your Ego At The Door".

Starting in the late 1970s, Jones tried to convince Miles Davis to re-perform the music he had played on several classic albums that had been arranged by Gil Evans in the 1960s. Davis had always refused, citing a desire not to revisit the past. In 1991, Davis, then suffering from pneumonia, relented and agreed to perform the music at a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The resulting album from the recording, ''Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux'', was Davis' last released album (he died several months afterward) and is considered an artistic triumph.

In 1993, Jones collaborated with David Salzman to produce the concert extravaganza ''An American Reunion'', a celebration of Bill Clinton's inauguration as president of the United States. In 1994, Salzman and Jones formed the company Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment (QDE) with Time/Warner Inc. QDE is a diverse company which produces media technology, motion pictures, television programs (''In the House'', ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', and ''MADtv''), and magazines (''Vibe'' and ''Spin'').

In 2001, he published his autobiography, ''Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones''. On July 31, 2007, Jones partnered with Wizzard Media to launch the Quincy Jones Video Podcast. In each episode, Jones shares his knowledge and experience in the music industry. The first episode features Jones in the studio, producing "I Knew I Loved you" for Celine Dion, which is featured on the Ennio Morricone tribute album, ''We All Love Ennio Morricone''. Jones is also noted for helping produce Anita Hall's CD, ''Send Love'', which was released in 2009.

Work with Michael Jackson

While working on the film ''The Wiz'', Michael Jackson asked Jones to recommend some producers for Jackson's upcoming solo record. Jones offered some names, but eventually asked Jackson if he would like for him to produce the record. Jackson replied that he would, and the result, ''Off The Wall'', has sold approximately 20 million copies and made Jones the most powerful record producer in the industry. Jones's and Jackson's next collaboration ''Thriller'' has sold a reputed 110 million copies and has become the highest-selling album of all time. Jones also worked on Michael Jackson's album ''Bad'', which has sold 32 million copies. After the ''Bad'' album, Jones recommended Jackson to New Jack Swing inventors Teddy Riley and Babyface so Jackson could "update" his sound.

In a 2002 interview, when Jackson was asked if he would ever work with Jones again he replied, "The door is always open". However, in 2007, when NME.COM asked Jones a similar question, he said "Man, please! We already did that. I have talked to him about working with him again but I've got too much to do. I've got 900 products, I'm 74 years old."

Following Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, Jones said:

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Work with Frank Sinatra

Jones first worked with Frank Sinatra when he was invited by Princess Grace to arrange a benefit concert at the Monaco Sporting Club in 1958. Six years later, Sinatra hired him to arrange and conduct Sinatra's second album with Count Basie, ''It Might as Well Be Swing'' (1964). Jones conducted and arranged 1966's live album with the Basie Band, ''Sinatra at the Sands''. Jones was also the arranger/conductor when Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, and Johnny Carson performed with the Basie orchestra in St. Louis, Missouri, in a benefit for Dismas House in June 1965. The fund-raiser was broadcast to a number of other theaters around the country and eventually released on DVD. Later that year, Jones was also the arranger/conductor when Sinatra and Basie appeared on ''The Hollywood Palace'' TV show on October 16, 1965. Nineteen years later, Sinatra and Jones teamed up for 1984's ''L.A. Is My Lady'', after a joint Sinatra-Lena Horne project was abandoned.

Media appearances

Jones had a brief appearance in the 1990 video for The Time song "Jerk Out". Jones was a guest star on an episode of ''The Boondocks'' in which he and the main character, Huey Freeman, co-produced a Christmas play for Huey's elementary school. He appeared with Ray Charles in the music video of their song 'One Mint Julep' and also with Ray Charles and Chaka Khan in the music video of their song "I'll Be Good to You".

Quincy Jones hosted an episode of the long-running NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' on February 10, 1990 (during SNL's 15th season [the 1989–1990 season]). The episode was notable for having 10 musical guests (the most any ''SNL'' episode has ever had in its 30-plus years on the air): Tevin Campbell, Andrae Crouch, Sandra Crouch, rappers Kool Moe Dee and Big Daddy Kane, Melle Mel, Quincy D III, Siedah Garrett, Al Jarreau, and Take 6, and for a performance of Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" by The SNL Band (conducted by Quincy Jones himself). Jones also impersonated Marion Barry in the then-recurring sketch, "The Bob Waltman Special". Quincy Jones would later be producer for his own sketch comedy show, FOX's ''MADtv''.

Jones appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures film ''Fantasia 2000'', introducing the set piece of George Gershwin's ''Rhapsody in Blue''. Two years later he made a cameo appearance as himself in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember. On February 10, 2008, Jones presented at the Grammy Awards. With Usher he presented Album of The Year to Herbie Hancock.

On January 6, 2009, Quincy Jones appeared on NBC's ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' to discuss various experiences within his prolific career. Also discussed was the informal notion of Jones becoming the first minister of culture for the United States — following the pending inauguration of the 44th U.S. President, Barack Obama. Carson Daly indicated the U.S. as being one of the only leading world countries, along with Germany, to exclude this position from the national government. This idea has also been subject to more in-depth discussion on NPR and the ''Chronicle of Higher Education''.

On December 12, 2009, Jones performed at a private reception for USAA employees at the Alamo Dome, in San Antonio, TX.

On February 5, 2011 Quincy Jones appeared on CBS's Late night show with David Letterman.

Awards and recognition

Discography

Personal life

Jones has been married three times and has seven children:

to Jeri Caldwell from 1957 to 1966; they had one daughter, Jolie Jones Levine.

to Ulla Andersson from 1967 to 1974; they had two children, Martina Jones and son Quincy Jones III;

to actress Peggy Lipton from 1974 to 1990; they had two daughters, actresses Kidada Jones and Rashida Jones.

Jones also had a brief affair with Carol Reynolds and had a daughter, Rachel Jones.

Jones dated and lived with actress Nastassja Kinski from 1991 until 1995. In February 1993, their daughter Kenya Julia Miambi Sarah Jones was born.

For the 2006 PBS television program ''African American Lives'', Jones had his DNA tested; the results found that on his paternal line (Y DNA) he is of European ancestry and on his maternal side (mt DNA) he is of West African/Central African ancestry of Tikar descent. The series revealed plenty of surprises, including the fact that Quincey Jones' family hails from an area in Cameroon known for its music. On hearing the information, Jones said: "I would have never guessed."

Jones has never learned to drive, citing an accident in which he was a passenger (at age 14) as the reason.

Social activism

Jones's social activism began in the 1960s with his support of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jones is one of the founders of the Institute for Black American Music (IBAM), whose events aim to raise enough funds for the creation of a national library of African American art and music. Jones is also one of the founders of the ''Black Arts Festival'' in his hometown of Chicago. In the 1970s Jones formed The Qunicy Jones Workshops. Meeting at the Los Angeles Landmark Variety Arts Center, the workshops educated and honed the skills of inner city youth in musicianship, acting and songwriting. Among its Alumni were Alton Mc Clain who had a hit song with Alton Mc Clain and Destiny, and Mark Wilkins who co-wrote the hit song "Havin' A Love Attack" with Mandrill and went on to become the National Promotion Director for Punk / Thrash record label Mystic Records. For many years, he has worked closely with Bono of U2 on a number of philanthropic endeavors. He is the founder of the ''Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation'', a nonprofit that connects youths with technology, education, culture and music. One of the organization's programs is an intercultural exchange between underprivileged youths from Los Angeles and South Africa.

In 2004, Jones helped launch the We Are the Future (WAF) project, which gives children in poor and conflict-ridden areas a chance to live their childhoods and develop a sense of hope. The program is the result of a strategic partnership between the Glocal Forum, the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation and Hani Masri, with the support of the World Bank, UN agencies and major companies. The project was launched with a concert in Rome, Italy, in front of an audience of half a million people.

Jones supports a number of other charities including the NAACP, GLAAD, Peace Games, AmfAR and The Maybach Foundation. Jones serves on the Advisory Board of HealthCorps. On July 26, 2007, he announced his endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president. But with the election of Barack Obama, Quincy Jones said that his next conversation "with President Obama [will be] to beg for a secretary of arts," prompting the circulation of a petition on the Internet asking Obama to create such a Cabinet-level position in his administration.

In 2001, he became an honorary member of the Board of Directors of The Jazz Foundation of America. Jones worked with The Jazz Foundation of America to save the homes and the lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians including those who survived Hurricane Katrina.

Brazilian culture

Jones is a great admirer of Brazilian culture and a film on Brazil's Carnival is among his recent plans: "one of the most spectacular spiritual events on the planet"; Simone, whom he cites as "one of the world´s greatest singers", Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento and Gilson Peranzzetta, "one of the five biggest arrangement producers of the world" stand as close friends and partners in his recent works.

See also

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

Official Quincy Jones Website

Archive of American Television interview

Mix Interview: Quincy Jones

American Masters - Quincy Jones: The Story of an American Musician

Association for Computing Machinery Video Interview with Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones speech on the importance of Cultural Diplomacy throughout the world, Beijing, China, May 26, 2006

Quincy Jones's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project

Video clip of Quincy Jones's speech on education at the American Film Institute for the 2006 ACM Computers in Entertainment Scholarship Awards (November 4, 2006)

Category:1933 births Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients Category:African American musicians Category:African American composers Category:American composers Category:American dance musicians Category:American film score composers Category:American jazz trumpeters Category:American music arrangers Category:American record producers Category:American television producers Category:Bebop trumpeters Category:Bell Records artists Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:Cameroonian people Category:Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Category:Crossover jazz trumpeters Category:Grammy Award winners Category:MusiCares Person of the Year Honorees Category:Harvard University people Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Jazz composers Category:Jazz-pop trumpeters Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Chicago, Illinois Category:Musicians from Washington (state) Category:Qwest Records artists Category:Songwriters from Illinois Category:Swing trumpeters Category:National Humanities Medal recipients

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Surat ar-Rahman (Arabic: ) is the 55th sura of the Qur'an with 78 ayats. It has the refrain: "Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?"

Verse

Ar-Rahman is often regarded as the 'beauty of the Quran', in accordance with a hadith: Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, "''Everything has an adornment, and the adornment of the Qur'an is Surah ar Rahman''" [Bayhaqi in Shuab al Eiman]

The main theme of the Surah is giving manifestation and fruits to the attribution of Allah's mercy and grace, which is evident right from the beginning, till the very end.

الرَّحْمَنُ Ar'Reh'maan: Name of Allah

The Nouns in Arabic, whether Proper Nouns or Common Nouns, in their original/default state, as a rule are always "Nominative" or مرفوع i.e. the last consonant has a vowel sign as is here نُ.

The name is the code which gives the basic cognition of existence and presence of a thing and person. Hence name is the introduction for apparent/initial recognition of a thing and person. Cognition of the code/name of a thing or person is the elementary/first step in gaining knowledge about the thing or person. Name of a thing or person gives it or him a vivid distinction from all other things and persons and makes it or him distinguished/identified/definite/isolated [معرفة] and grants an ability to others to identify and describe/ remember/recall and/or mention-refer it or him to others. The name/code serves as a basis/foundation for others to enquire and study about it to gain further knowledge.

Attributive names/adjectival descriptions give further information, insight and knowledge about the thing or person introduced by a Personal Name. These are complimentary in nature and help to acquaint others about the inner-self [بَاطِن] of the named object or person/being. Every person and thing/object that exists has two aspects, the one evidently apparent [ظَاهر] notwithstanding whether or not it is in the range of focus of someone, and the other is the inner-self, hidden, infolded, not apparent but invisibly embedded therein [بَاطِن].

The evidently apparent [ظَاهر] is the reflection of the fact of existence, and its cognition and reference is by the Name. The pursuit-journey of knowledge is from cognition of existence/Name towards knowing and perceiving the inner-self [بَاطِن] of that which exists and its relationships and equations with all that exists. We cannot have the absolute knowledge of anything and person/being unless we know its/his inner-self [بَاطِن], after its cognition, i.e. introductory knowledge of its Name.

Once we know the inner-self, all that is secreted, hidden and its relationships with everything else, we know that thing and Person in near absolute sense. Thereupon, it or He becomes more visible and apparent than the shining sun in a bright and clear day, even without being physically in visual sight, the [ظَاهر] aspect of Him. Therefore, we know Him/him with such conviction, which is the absolute-exalted end of the knowledge. This type of knowledge, with reference to personalities, can be attained only about two, Ar'Reh'maan, the Exalted and Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam-The Mercy Personified, since the بَاطِن of both is quite extensively visible to us all around and through the courtesy of Grand Qur'aan.

Personal Names that introduce and grant cognition of an existing personality, unlike attributive/ adjectival names/descriptions, never have duality and plurality, and neither with personal names is done the process of feminization or masculinization.

A peculiar and distinguishing feature of Arabic language is that, unlike other languages say English and Urdu in which the adjective comes first-prioritized than the described one, the مُوْصُوف/the one who is being described/portrayed is always mentioned first followed by the صِفَة/Adjective. Arabic, the language of our Guide Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam, is a language of truth and fact. مُوْصُوف/the one being described/portrayed is mentioned first since he is First in Existence and it is always the مُوْصُوف who has either inherently and intrinsically the mentionedصِفَة/adjective, quality, trait, or has acquired/adopted it. Hence Proper Nouns/Personal Names are NEVER placed at a secondary place as an adjective in the Adjectival Phrases.

الرَّحْمَنُ-Ar'Reh'maan is the Personal Name of Allah. It is unique, exclusive, unprecedented [19:65]; this has no parallel, no dual, no plural, no feminine equivalent. In Grand Qur'aan it is never placed as second noun of Adjectival Phrase, and nor one will find it in any Arabic literature mentioned as second noun of Adjectival Phrase.

Personal Names are also not the first noun [مضاف] of possessive construction/genitive phrases [الاضافة]. They are always second noun [مضاف اليه] in possessive phrases. One will never find الرَّحْمَنُ the Personal Name of Allah having been used as first noun [مضاف] of possessive construction/genitive phrases.

The fundamental and simple features and principles of Arabic language vividly reflect that الرَّحْمَنُ cannot be considered and perceived except as Proper Name. But in consideration of the fact that there has been a debate, spreading over thousands of pages, over this Peculiar Name of Allah, we may, without indulging into merits of controversy, request the Grand Qur'aan to let us know whether this is the Personal Name of Allah or it could be stretched and considered as an Adjectival Name attributing a qualitative trait.

The Grand Qur'aan unambiguously explains to us, in various references and contexts that this is but the Unique and Exclusively the Personal Name of Allah Who is the Sustainer Lord of all that exists. Some of contexts and references are as under:-

2. Surrender and allegiance is by the Title and/or Personal Name of Master-Lord; not by adjectival names. 2.1 Subject [عَبْد plural عباد] is identified only by the Title-Allah and Personal Name-Ar'Reh'maan of his Lord.

3. Creator of a thing is identified and referred only by Title-Allah and Personal Name Ar'Reh'maan.

4. Prostration-obeisance is before and for the Person, and not for his traits.

5. One is mentioned by Title and Personal Name who adorns the Throne/Seat of Sovereignty and not by adjectival.

6. A person makes a promise. Promise-maker finds mention by his title or personal name.

7. An agreement, treaty, compact, pact of obligation is with reference to Title or Personal Name.

8. Fear is induced by a perceived threat from a specific stimulus-Being or a named object.

9. Mention of Permission, Authorization, and Proclamation is always by the Title or Name of the authority.

10. People relate a son [very as well adopted] with Personal Name of the one with whom they relate a son.

[For detailed study kindly see the Link on 01-Surat Fateh "Word by Word Analysis"

Recitation

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surat-Al-Rahman/142565212521005?sk=info

By---Tafseet e Qurrtabi

Surah Ar-Rahman In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

The Most Gracious (Allâh)! (1) He has taught (you mankind) the Qur'ân (by His Mercy). (2) He created man. (3) He taught him eloquent speech. (4) The sun and the moon run on their fixed courses (exactly) calculated with measured out stages for each (for reckoning). (5) And the herbs (or stars) and the trees both prostrate themselves. (to Allah. See V.22:18). (Tafsir Ibn Kathir) (6) And the heaven He has raised it high, and He has set up the Balance. (7) In order that you may not transgress (due) balance. (8) And observe the weight with equity and do not make the balance deficient. (9)And the earth He has put down (laid) for the creatures. (10) Therein are fruits, date-palms producing sheathed fruit-stalks (enclosing dates). (11)And also corn, with (its) leaves and stalk for fodder, and sweet-scented plants. (12) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (13) He created man (Adam) from sounding clay like the clay of pottery. (14) And the jinn He created from a smokeless flame of fire. (15)Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (16) (He is) the Lord of the two easts (places of sunrise during early summer and early winter) and the Lord of the two wests (places of sunset during early summer and early winter). (17) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (18) He has let loose the two seas (the salt and the fresh water) meeting together. (19) Between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress. (20) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (21) Out of them both come out pearl and coral. (22) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (23) And His are the ships going and coming in the seas, like mountains. (24) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (25) Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. (26) And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever. (27) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (28) Whosoever is in the heavens and on earth begs of Him (its needs from Him). Every day He is (engaged) in some affair (such as giving honour or disgrace to some, life or death to some, etc.)! (29)Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (30) We shall attend to you, O you two classes (jinn and men)! (31) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (32)O assembly of jinn and men! If you have power to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond (them)! But you will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allâh)! (33) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (34) There will be sent against you both, smokeless flames of fire and (molten) brass, and you will not be able to defend yourselves. (35) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (36) Then when the heaven is rent asunder, and it becomes rosy or red like red-oil, or red hide — (See V.70:8|) (37) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (38) So on that Day no question will be asked of man or jinni as to his sin, [because they have already been known from their faces either white (dwellers of Paradise - true believers of Islamic Monotheism) or black (dwellers of Hell - polytheists; disbelievers, criminals)]. (39) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (40) The Mujrimûn (polytheists, criminals, sinners) will be known by their marks (black faces), and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet. (41) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (42) This is Hell which the Mujrimûn (polytheists, criminals, sinners) denied. (43) They will go between it (Hell) and the fierce boiling water! (44) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (45) But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. in Paradise). (46) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (47) With spreading branches. (48) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (49) In them (both) will be two springs flowing (free). (50) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (51)In them (both) will be every kind of fruit in pairs. (52) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (53) Reclining upon the couches lined with silk brocade, and the fruits of the two Gardens will be near at hand. (54) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (55) Wherein both will be Qasirat-ut-Tarf [chaste fmales (wives) restraining their glances, desiring none except their husbands], with whom no man or jinni has had Tamth[] before them. (56)Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (57) (In beauty) they are like rubies and coral. (58) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (59) Is there any reward for good other than good? (60) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (61) And besides these two, there are two other Gardens (i.e. in Paradise). (62) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (63) Dark green (in colour). (64) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (65) In them (both) will be two springs gushing forth. (66) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (67)In them (both) will be fruits, and date- palms and pomegranates. (68) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (69)Therein (Gardens) will be Khairâtun-Hisân [fair (wives) good and beautiful]. (70) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (71) Hûr[] (beautiful, fair females) guarded in pavilions; (72) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (73)With Whom no man or jinni has had Tamth[] before them. (74) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (75)Reclining on green cushions and rich beautiful mattresses. (76) Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (77)Blessed is the Name of your Lord (Allâh), the Owner of Majesty and Honor. (78)

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ (١) عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ (٢) خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ (٣) عَلَّمَهُ ٱلۡبَيَانَ (٤) ٱلشَّمۡسُ وَٱلۡقَمَرُ بِحُسۡبَانٍ۬ (٥) وَٱلنَّجۡمُ وَٱلشَّجَرُ يَسۡجُدَانِ (٦) وَٱلسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ ٱلۡمِيزَانَ (٧) أَلَّا تَطۡغَوۡاْ فِى ٱلۡمِيزَانِ (٨) وَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلۡوَزۡنَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ وَلَا تُخۡسِرُواْ ٱلۡمِيزَانَ (٩) وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلۡأَنَامِ (١٠) فِيہَا فَـٰكِهَةٌ۬ وَٱلنَّخۡلُ ذَاتُ ٱلۡأَكۡمَامِ (١١) وَٱلۡحَبُّ ذُو ٱلۡعَصۡفِ وَٱلرَّيۡحَانُ (١٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (١٣)خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ۬ كَٱلۡفَخَّارِ (١٤) وَخَلَقَ ٱلۡجَآنَّ مِن مَّارِجٍ۬ مِّن نَّارٍ۬ (١٥) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (١٦) رَبُّ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقَيۡنِ وَرَبُّ ٱلۡمَغۡرِبَيۡنِ (١٧) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (١٨) مَرَجَ ٱلۡبَحۡرَيۡنِ يَلۡتَقِيَانِ (١٩) بَيۡنَہُمَا بَرۡزَخٌ۬ لَّا يَبۡغِيَانِ (٢٠) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٢١) يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡہُمَا ٱللُّؤۡلُؤُ وَٱلۡمَرۡجَانُ (٢٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٢٣) وَلَهُ ٱلۡجَوَارِ ٱلۡمُنشَـَٔاتُ فِى ٱلۡبَحۡرِ كَٱلۡأَعۡلَـٰمِ (٢٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٢٥)كُلُّ مَنۡ عَلَيۡہَا فَانٍ۬ (٢٦) وَيَبۡقَىٰ وَجۡهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلۡجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلۡإِكۡرَامِ (٢٧) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٢٨) يَسۡـَٔلُهُ ۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۚ كُلَّ يَوۡمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأۡنٍ۬ (٢٩) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٠) سَنَفۡرُغُ لَكُمۡ أَيُّهَ ٱلثَّقَلَانِ (٣١)فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٢) يَـٰمَعۡشَرَ ٱلۡجِنِّ وَٱلۡإِنسِ إِنِ ٱسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ أَن تَنفُذُواْ مِنۡ أَقۡطَارِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَٱنفُذُواْ‌ۚ لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلۡطَـٰنٍ۬ (٣٣) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٤)يُرۡسَلُ عَلَيۡكُمَا شُوَاظٌ۬ مِّن نَّارٍ۬ وَنُحَاسٌ۬ فَلَا تَنتَصِرَانِ (٣٥) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٦)فَإِذَا ٱنشَقَّتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتۡ وَرۡدَةً۬ كَٱلدِّهَانِ (٣٧) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٣٨) فَيَوۡمَٮِٕذٍ۬ لَّا يُسۡـَٔلُ عَن ذَنۢبِهِۦۤ إِنسٌ۬ وَلَا جَآنٌّ۬ (٣٩) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّڪُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٠) يُعۡرَفُ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ بِسِيمَـٰهُمۡ فَيُؤۡخَذُ بِٱلنَّوَٲصِى وَٱلۡأَقۡدَامِ (٤١) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٢) هَـٰذِهِۦ جَهَنَّمُ ٱلَّتِى يُكَذِّبُ بِہَا ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ (٤٣) يَطُوفُونَ بَيۡنَہَا وَبَيۡنَ حَمِيمٍ ءَانٍ۬ (٤٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٥)وَلِمَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ جَنَّتَانِ (٤٦) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٧) ذَوَاتَآ أَفۡنَانٍ۬ (٤٨) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٤٩) فِيہِمَا عَيۡنَانِ تَجۡرِيَانِ (٥٠)فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥١) فِيہِمَا مِن كُلِّ فَـٰكِهَةٍ۬ زَوۡجَانِ (٥٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥٣) مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ فُرُشِۭ بَطَآٮِٕنُہَا مِنۡ إِسۡتَبۡرَقٍ۬‌ۚ وَجَنَى ٱلۡجَنَّتَيۡنِ دَانٍ۬ (٥٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥٥) فِيہِنَّ قَـٰصِرَٲتُ ٱلطَّرۡفِ لَمۡ يَطۡمِثۡہُنَّ إِنسٌ۬ قَبۡلَهُمۡ وَلَا جَآنٌّ۬ (٥٦) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥٧) كَأَنَّہُنَّ ٱلۡيَاقُوتُ وَٱلۡمَرۡجَانُ (٥٨)فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٥٩) هَلۡ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنِ إِلَّا ٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنُ (٦٠) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦١) وَمِن دُونِہِمَا جَنَّتَانِ (٦٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦٣) مُدۡهَآمَّتَانِ (٦٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦٥) فِيہِمَا عَيۡنَانِ نَضَّاخَتَانِ (٦٦) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦٧) فِيہِمَا فَـٰكِهَةٌ۬ وَنَخۡلٌ۬ وَرُمَّانٌ۬ (٦٨) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٦٩) فِيہِنَّ خَيۡرَٲتٌ حِسَانٌ۬ (٧٠) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٧١) حُورٌ۬ مَّقۡصُورَٲتٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡخِيَامِ (٧٢) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٧٣) لَمۡ يَطۡمِثۡہُنَّ إِنسٌ۬ قَبۡلَهُمۡ وَلَا جَآنٌّ۬ (٧٤) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٧٥) مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ رَفۡرَفٍ خُضۡرٍ۬ وَعَبۡقَرِىٍّ حِسَانٍ۬ (٧٦) فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (٧٧) تَبَـٰرَكَ ٱسۡمُ رَبِّكَ ذِى ٱلۡجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلۡإِكۡرَامِ (٧

Translation

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. ((Allah)) Most Gracious!

2. It is He Who has taught the Qur'an.

3. He has created man:

4. He has taught him speech (and intelligence).

5. The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed;

6. And the herbs and the trees - both (alike) bow in adoration.

7. And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance (of Justice),

8. In order that ye may not transgress (due) balance.

9. So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance.

10. It is He Who has spread out the earth for (His) creatures:

11. Therein is fruit and date-palms, producing spathes (enclosing dates);

12. Also corn, with (its) leaves and stalk for fodder, and sweet-smelling plants.

13. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

14. He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery,

15. And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke:

16. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

17. (He is) Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests:

18. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

19. He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together:

20. Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress:

21. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

22. Out of them come Pearls and Coral:

23. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

24. And His are the Ships sailing smoothly through the seas, lofty as mountains:

25. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

26. All that is on earth will perish:

27. But will abide (for ever) the Face of thy Lord,- full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.

28. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

29. Of Him seeks (its need) every creature in the heavens and on earth: every day in (new) Splendour doth He (shine)!

30. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

31. Soon shall We settle your affairs, O both ye worlds!

32. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

33. O ye assembly of Jinns and men! If it be ye can pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, pass ye! not without authority shall ye be able to pass!

34. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

35. On you will be sent (O ye evil ones twain!) a flame of fire (to burn) and a smoke (to choke): no defence will ye have:

36. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

37. When the sky is rent asunder, and it becomes red like ointment:

38. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

39. On that Day no question will be asked of man or Jinn as to his sin.

40. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

41. (For) the sinners will be known by their marks: and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet.

42. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

43. This is the Hell which the Sinners deny:

44. In its midst and in the midst of boiling hot water will they wander round!

45. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

46. But for such as fear the time when they will stand before (the Judgment Seat of) their Lord, there will be two Gardens-

47. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

48. Containing all kinds (of trees and delights);-

49. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

50. In them (each) will be two Springs flowing (free);

51. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

52. In them will be Fruits of every kind, two and two.

53. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

54. They will recline on Carpets, whose inner linings will be of rich brocade: the Fruit of the Gardens will be near (and easy of reach).

55. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

56. In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched;-

57. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

58. Like unto Rubies and coral.

59. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

60. Is there any Reward for Good - other than Good?

61. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

62. And besides these two, there are two other Gardens,-

63. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

64. Dark-green in colour (from plentiful watering).

65. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

66. In them (each) will be two Springs pouring forth water in continuous abundance:

67. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

68. In them will be Fruits, and dates and pomegranates:

69. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

70. In them will be fair (Companions), good, beautiful;-

71. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

72. Companions restrained (as to their glances), in (goodly) pavilions;-

73. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

74. Whom no man or Jinn before them has touched;-

75. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

76. Reclining on green Cushions and rich Carpets of beauty.

77. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

78. Blessed be the name of thy Lord, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.

[for linked study see the link on 01-Suray Fateh "Word by Word Analysis"

See also

References

External links

Exegesis of Surah Rahman

Read Surah Ar-Rahman in many languages www.SearchTruth.com

Rahman Rahman

ar:سورة الرحمن az:Rəhman surəsi bs:Er-Rahman fa:الرحمن hi:अर-रहमान id:Surah Ar-Rahman ku:Rehman ml:റഹ്‌മാൻ mzn:الرحمان ms:Surah Ar-Rahman nl:Soera De Erbarmer ce:Сура Къинхетамениг ps:سورة الرحمن pt:Ar-Rahman ru:Сура Ар-Рахман sl:Usmiljeni (sura) sv:Ar-Rahman tr:Rahman Suresi ur:الرحمٰن

name	Elizabeth Taylor
birth name	Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
birth date	February 27, 1932
birth place	, England
death date	March 23, 2011
death place
death cause	Congestive heart failure
restingplace	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
other names	Liz Taylor
occupation	Actress, social activist
years active	1942–2003
nationality	British-American
religion	}}

| spouse = | children = | parents = | relations = Howard Taylor (older brother) | awards = List }} Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age. As one of the world's most famous film stars, Taylor was recognized for her acting ability and for her glamorous lifestyle, beauty and distinctive violet eyes.

''National Velvet'' (1944) was Taylor's first success, and she starred in ''Father of the Bride'' (1950), ''A Place in the Sun'' (1951), ''Giant'' (1956), ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1958), and ''Suddenly, Last Summer'' (1959). She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for ''BUtterfield 8'' (1960), played the title role in ''Cleopatra'' (1963), and married her co-star Richard Burton. They appeared together in 11 films, including ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1966), for which Taylor won a second Academy Award. From the mid-1970s, she appeared less frequently in film, and made occasional appearances in television and theatre.

Her much publicized personal life included eight marriages and several life-threatening illnesses. From the mid-1980s, Taylor championed HIV and AIDS programs; she co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research in 1985, and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1993. She received the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Legion of Honour, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and a Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, who named her seventh on their list of the "Greatest American Screen Legends". Taylor died of congestive heart failure in March 2011 at the age of 79, having suffered many years of ill health.

Early life

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born at Heathwood, her parents' home at 8 Wildwood Road in Hampstead Garden Suburb, a northwestern suburb of London; the younger of two children of Francis Lenn Taylor (1897–1968) and Sara Viola Warmbrodt (1895–1994), who were Americans residing in England. Taylor's older brother, Howard Taylor, was born in 1929. Her parents were originally from Arkansas City, Kansas. Francis Taylor was an art dealer, and Sara was a former actress whose stage name was "Sara Sothern". Sothern retired from the stage in 1926 when she married Francis in New York City. Taylor's two first names are in honor of her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Mary (Rosemond) Taylor.

Colonel Victor Cazalet, one of their closest friends, had an important influence on the family. He was a rich, well-connected bachelor, a Member of Parliament and close friend of Winston Churchill. Cazalet loved both art and theater and was passionate when encouraging the Taylor family to think of England as their permanent home. Additionally, as a Christian Scientist and lay preacher, his links with the family were spiritual. He also became Elizabeth's godfather. In one instance, when she was suffering with a severe infection as a child, she was kept in her bed for weeks. She "begged" for his company: "Mother, please call Victor and ask him to come and sit with me."

Biographer Alexander Walker suggests that Elizabeth's conversion to Judaism at the age of 27 and her life-long support for Israel, may have been influenced by views she heard at home. Walker notes that Cazalet actively campaigned for a Jewish homeland, and her mother also worked in various charities, which included sponsoring fundraisers for Zionism. Her mother recalls the influence that Cazalet had on Elizabeth: }}

A dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States, she was born British, through her birth on British soil and an American citizen through her parents. She reportedly sought, in 1965, to renounce her United States citizenship, to wit: "Though never accepted by the State Department, Elizabeth renounced in 1965. Attempting to shield much of her European income from U.S. taxes, Elizabeth wished to become solely a British citizen. According to news reports at the time, officials denied her request when she failed to complete the renunciation oath, refusing to say that she renounced "all allegiance to the United States of America."

At the age of three, Taylor began taking ballet lessons. Shortly before the beginning of World War II, her parents decided to return to the United States to avoid hostilities. Her mother took the children first, arriving in New York in April 1939, while her father remained in London to wrap up matters in his art business, arriving in November. They settled in Los Angeles, California, where her father established a new art gallery, which included many paintings he shipped from England. The gallery would soon attract numerous Hollywood celebrities who appreciated its modern European paintings. According to Walker, the gallery "opened many doors for the Taylors, leading them directly into the society of money and prestige" within Hollywood's movie colony.

Acting career

Child actress

Soon after settling in Los Angeles, Taylor's mother discovered that Hollywood people "habitually saw a movie future for every pretty face." Some of her mother's friends, and even total strangers, urged her to have Taylor screen tested for the role of Bonnie Blue, Scarlett's child in ''Gone with the Wind'', then being filmed. Her mother refused the idea, as a child actress in film was alien to her. And in any regard, they would return to England after the war. thumb|left| As a child actress, circa 1942 Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper introduced the Taylors to Andrea Berens, the fiancée of John Cheever Cowdin, chairman and major stockholder of Universal Pictures. Berens insisted that Sara take Taylor to see Cowden who, she assured, would be dazzled by her breathtaking beauty. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer also became interested in Taylor, and MGM head Louis B. Mayer reportedly told his producer, "Sign her up, sign her up! What are you waiting for?" As a result, she soon had both Universal and MGM willing to place her under contract. When Universal learned that MGM was equally interested, however, Cowden telephoned Universal from New York: "Sign her up, he ordered, don't even wait for the screen test." Universal then gave her a seven-year contract.

Taylor appeared in her first motion picture at the age of nine in ''There's One Born Every Minute'' (1942), her only film for Universal. After less than a year, however, the studio fired Taylor for unknown reasons. Some speculate that she did not live up to Cowden's promise. Walker believes that Taylor's intuition told her "she wasn't really welcome at Universal." She learned, for instance, that her casting director complained, "The kid has nothing," after a test. Even her beautiful eyes—they were a deep blue that appeared violet and stunned those who met her in person, with a mutation that gave Taylor double eyelashes—did not impress him: "Her eyes are too old, she doesn't have the face of a child," he said. But Walker admits that "this was not so far off the mark as it may appear now." He explains: }}

Taylor herself remembers that when she was a child in England, adults used to describe her as having an "old soul," because, as she says, "I was totally direct." She also recognized similar traits in her baby daughter:

Taylor's father served as an air raid warden with MGM producer Sam Marx, and learned that the studio was searching for an English actress for a Lassie film. Taylor received the role and was offered a long-term contract at the beginning of 1943. She chose MGM because "the people there had been nicer to her when she went to audition," Taylor recalled. MGM's production chief, Benny Thau, was to remain the "only MGM executive" she fully trusted during subsequent years, because, writes Walker, "he had, out of kindly habit, made the gesture that showed her she was loved." Thau remembered her as a "little dark-haired beauty...[with] those strange and lovely eyes that gave the face its central focus, oddly powerful in someone so young." MGM, in addition, was considered a "glamorous studio," boasting that it had "more stars than there are in heaven." Before Taylor's mother would sign the contract, however, she sought certainty that Taylor had a "God-given talent" to become an actress. Walker describes how they came to a decision: }}

Adolescent star

MGM cast Taylor in ''Lassie Come Home'' (1943) with child star Roddy McDowall, with whom she would share a lifelong friendship. He later recalled regarding her beauty, "who has double eyelashes except a girl who was absolutely born to be on the big screen?" The film received favorable attention for both actors, and MGM signed Taylor to a conventional seven-year contract starting at $100 a week and with regular raises. Her first assignment under her new contract was a loan-out to 20th Century Fox for the character of Helen Burns in a film version of the Charlotte Brontë novel ''Jane Eyre'' (1944). Taylor returned to England to appear in another McDowall picture for MGM, ''The White Cliffs of Dover'' (1944).

Taylor's persistence in seeking the role of Velvet Brown in MGM's ''National Velvet'' made her a star at the age of 12. Her character is a young girl who trains her beloved horse to win the Grand National. ''Velvet'', which costarred fellow young actor Mickey Rooney and English newcomer Angela Lansbury, became a great success upon its release in December 1944. Many years later Taylor called it "the most exciting film" she had ever made, although the film caused many of her later back problems due to her falling off a horse during filming.

Viewers and critics "fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor when they saw her in it." Walker explains why the film was popular: }}

''Velvet'' grossed over US$4 million and MGM signed Taylor to a new long-term contract. Because of the movie's success she was cast in another animal film, ''Courage of Lassie'' (1946), in which Bill the dog outsmarts the Nazis. The film's success led to another contract for Taylor paying her $750 per week. Her roles as Mary Skinner in a loan-out to Warner Brothers' ''Life With Father'' (1947), Cynthia Bishop in ''Cynthia'' (1947), Carol Pringle in ''A Date with Judy'' (1948), and Susan Prackett in ''Julia Misbehaves'' (1948) were all successful. Taylor received a reputation as a consistently successful adolescent actress, with a nickname of "One-Shot Liz" (referring to her ability to shoot a scene in one take) and a promising career. Taylor's portrayal of Amy in the American classic ''Little Women'' (1949) was her last adolescent role.

Transition into adult roles

The teenage Taylor was reluctant to continue making films. Her stage mother forced Taylor to relentlessly practice until she could cry on cue and watched her during filming, signaling to change her delivery or a mistake. Taylor met few others her age on movie sets, and was so poorly educated that she needed to use her fingers to do basic arithmetic. When at age 16 Taylor told her parents that she wanted to quit acting for a normal childhood, however, Sara Taylor told her that she was ungrateful: "You have a responsibility, Elizabeth. Not just to this family, but to the country now, the whole world".

In October 1948, Taylor sailed aboard the to England to begin filming ''Conspirator''. Unlike some other child actors, Taylor made an easy transition to adult roles. Before ''Conspirator'' 1949 release, a ''TIME'' cover article called her "a jewel of great price, a true star sapphire", and the leader among Hollywood's next generation of stars such as Montgomery Clift, Kirk Douglas, and Ava Gardner. The petite Taylor had the figure of a mature woman, with a 19" waist. ''Conspirator'' failed at the box office, but 16-year-old Taylor's portrayal of a 21-year-old debutante who unknowingly marries a communist spy played by 38-year-old Robert Taylor, was praised by critics for her first adult lead in a film. Taylor's first picture under her new salary of $2,000 per week was ''The Big Hangover'' (1950), both a critical and box office failure, that paired her with screen idol Van Johnson. The picture also failed to present Taylor with an opportunity to exhibit her newly realized sensuality.

Her first box office success in an adult role came as Kay Banks in the romantic comedy ''Father of the Bride'' (1950), alongside Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett. The film spawned a sequel, ''Father's Little Dividend'' (1951), which Taylor's costar Spencer Tracy summarized with "boring… boring… boring". The film did well at the box office, but it would be Taylor's next picture that would set the course for her career as a dramatic actress.

In late 1949, Taylor had begun filming George Stevens' ''A Place in the Sun''. Upon its release in 1951, Taylor was hailed for her performance as Angela Vickers, a spoiled socialite who comes between George Eastman (Clift) and his poor, pregnant factory-working girlfriend Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters). The film, based on Theodore Dreiser's novel, ''An American Tragedy,'' was an indictment of "the American dream" and its corrupting influences, notes biographer Kitty Kelley.

Although Taylor, then only 17, was unaware of the psychological implications of the story and its powerful nuances, it became the pivotal performance of Taylor's career. Kelley explains that Stevens, its director, knew that with Elizabeth Taylor as the young and beautiful star, the "audience would understand why George Eastman (Clift) would kill for a place in the sun with her." Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, allowed on the set to watch the filming, became "wide-eyed watching the little girl from ''National Velvet'' seduce Montgomery Clift in front of the camera," writes Kelley. When the scene was over, Hopper went to her, "Elizabeth, where on earth did you ever learn how to make love like that?"

Critics acclaimed the film as a classic, a reputation it sustained throughout the next 50 years of cinema history. ''The New York Times'' A.H. Weiler wrote, "Elizabeth's delineation of the rich and beauteous Angela is the top effort of her career", and the ''Boxoffice'' reviewer unequivocally stated "Miss Taylor deserves an Academy Award".

Taylor became increasingly unsatisfied with the roles being offered to her at the time. While she wanted to play the lead roles in ''The Barefoot Contessa'' and ''I'll Cry Tomorrow'', MGM continued to restrict her to mindless and somewhat forgettable films such as: a cameo as herself in ''Callaway Went Thataway'' (1951), ''Love Is Better Than Ever'' (1952), ''Ivanhoe'' (1952), ''The Girl Who Had Everything'' (1953) and ''Beau Brummel'' (1954). She had wanted to play the role of Lady Rowena in ''Ivanhoe'', but the part was given to Joan Fontaine; Taylor was given the role of Rebecca. When Taylor became pregnant with her first child, MGM forced her through ''The Girl Who Had Everything'' (even adding two hours to her daily work schedule) so as to get one more film out of her before she became too heavily pregnant. Taylor lamented that she needed the money, as she had just bought a new house with second husband Michael Wilding and with a child on the way things would be pretty tight. Taylor had been forced by her pregnancy to turn down ''Elephant Walk'' (1954), though the role had been designed for her. Vivien Leigh, almost two decades Taylor's senior, but to whom Taylor bore a striking resemblance, got the part and went to Ceylon to shoot on location. Leigh suffered a nervous breakdown during filming, and Taylor reclaimed the role after the birth of her child, Michael Wilding, Jr., in January 1953.

Taylor's next screen endeavor, ''Rhapsody'' (1954), another tedious romantic drama, proved equally frustrating. Taylor portrayed Louise Durant, a beautiful rich girl in love with a temperamental violinist (Vittorio Gassman) and an earnest young pianist (John Ericson). A film critic for the ''New York Herald Tribune'' wrote: "There is beauty in the picture all right, with Miss Taylor glowing into the camera from every angle… but the dramatic pretenses are weak, despite the lofty sentences and handsome manikin poses."

Taylor's fourth period picture, ''Beau Brummell'', made just after ''Elephant Walk'' and ''Rhapsody'', cast her as the elaborately costumed Lady Patricia, which many felt was only a screen prop—a ravishing beauty whose sole purpose was to lend romantic support to the film's title star, Stewart Granger. ''The Last Time I Saw Paris'' (1954) fared only slightly better than her previous pictures, with Taylor being reunited with ''The Big Hangover'' costar Van Johnson. The role of Helen Ellsworth Willis was based on that of Zelda Fitzgerald and, although pregnant with her second child, Taylor went ahead with the film, her fourth in 12 months. Although proving somewhat successful at the box office, she still yearned for more substantial roles.

1955–79

Following a more substantial role opposite Rock Hudson and James Dean in George Stevens' epic ''Giant'' (1956), Taylor was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress four years in a row for ''Raintree County'' (1957) opposite Montgomery Clift; ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1958) opposite Paul Newman; ''Suddenly, Last Summer'' (1959) with Montgomery Clift, Katharine Hepburn and Mercedes McCambridge; and finally winning for ''BUtterfield 8'' (1960). The film co-starred then husband Eddie Fisher and ended her contract, which Taylor said had made her an "MGM chattel" for 18 years.

''Suddenly, Last Summer'''s success made Taylor among the top ten most successful actors at the box office, and she remained in the top ten almost every year for the next decade. In 1960, Taylor became the highest paid actress up to that time when she signed a $1 million dollar contract to play the title role in 20th Century Fox's lavish production of ''Cleopatra'', which was released in 1963. During the filming, she began a romance with her future husband Richard Burton, who played Mark Antony in the film. The romance received much attention from the tabloid press, as both were married to other spouses at the time. Taylor ultimately received $7 million for her role.

Her second Academy Award, also for Best Actress in a Leading Role, was for her performance as Martha in ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1966), playing opposite then husband Richard Burton. Taylor and Burton would appear together in six other films during the decade, among them ''The V.I.P.s'' (1963), ''The Sandpiper'' (1965), and ''The Taming of the Shrew'' (1967). By 1967 their films had earned $200 million at the box office. When Taylor and Burton considered not working for three months, the possibility caused alarm in Hollywood as "nearly half of the U.S. film industry's income" came from movies starring one or both of them. Their next films ''Doctor Faustus'' (1967), ''The Comedians'' (1967) and ''Boom!'' (1968), however, all failed at the box office.

Taylor appeared in John Huston's ''Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967) opposite Marlon Brando (replacing Clift, who died before production began) and ''Secret Ceremony'' (1968) opposite Mia Farrow. By the end of the decade her box-office drawing power had considerably diminished, as evidenced by the failure of ''The Only Game in Town'' (1970), with Warren Beatty.

Although limited by a "thin and inflexible voice", Taylor continued to star in numerous theatrical films throughout the 1970s, such as ''Zee and Co.'' (1972) with Michael Caine, ''Ash Wednesday'' (1973), ''The Blue Bird'' (1976) with Jane Fonda and Ava Gardner, and ''A Little Night Music'' (1977). With then-husband Richard Burton, she co-starred in the 1972 films ''Under Milk Wood'' and ''Hammersmith Is Out'', and the 1973 made-for-TV movie ''Divorce His, Divorce Hers''.

1980–2003

Taylor starred in the 1980 mystery film ''The Mirror Crack'd'', based on an Agatha Christie novel. In 1985, she played movie gossip columnist Louella Parsons in the TV film ''Malice in Wonderland'' opposite Jane Alexander, who played Hedda Hopper. Taylor appeared in the miniseries ''North and South''. Her last theatrical film was 1994's ''The Flintstones''.

In February 1996, she appeared on the TV program, ''The Nanny'' as herself, and the star of the show, Fran, identifies her to a friend by using all of her husbands' names, stating that she would be meeting "Elizabeth Taylor-Hilton-Wilding-Todd-Fisher-Burton-Burton-Warner-Fortensky." In 2001, she played an agent in the TV film ''These Old Broads''. She appeared on a number of television series, including the soap operas ''General Hospital'' and ''All My Children'', as well as the animated series ''The Simpsons''—once as herself, and once as the voice of Maggie Simpson, uttering one word, "Daddy".

Taylor also acted on the stage, making her Broadway and West End debuts in 1982 with a revival of Lillian Hellman's ''The Little Foxes''. She was then in a production of Noël Coward's ''Private Lives'' (1983), in which she starred with her former husband, Richard Burton. The student-run Burton Taylor Theatre in Oxford was named for the famous couple after Burton appeared as Doctor Faustus in the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) production of the Marlowe play. Taylor played the ghostly, wordless Helen of Troy, who is entreated by Faustus to "make [him] immortal with a kiss".

In the early 1980s, Taylor moved to Bel Air, Los Angeles, which was her residence until her death. She also owned homes in Palm Springs, London and Hawaii.

2003–11

In March 2003, Taylor declined to attend the 75th Annual Academy Awards, due to her opposition to the Iraq War. She publicly condemned then President George W. Bush for calling on Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq, and said she feared the conflict would lead to "World War III".

The February 2007 issue of ''Interview'' magazine was devoted entirely to Taylor. It celebrated her life, career and her upcoming 75th birthday.

On December 1, 2007, Taylor acted on-stage again, appearing opposite James Earl Jones in a benefit performance of the A. R. Gurney play ''Love Letters''. The event's goal was to raise $1 million for Taylor's AIDS foundation. Tickets for the show were priced at $2,500, and more than 500 people attended. The event happened to coincide with the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike and, rather than cross the picket line, Taylor requested a "one night dispensation." The Writers Guild agreed not to picket the Paramount Pictures lot that night to allow for the performance.

Personal life

Marriages, romances, and children

thumb|Taylor with daughter Liza and husband Mike Todd, 1957Taylor was married eight times to seven husbands. When asked why she married so often, she replied, "I don't know, honey. It sure beats the hell out of me," but also said that, "I was taught by my parents that if you fall in love, if you want to have a love affair, you get married. I guess I'm very old-fashioned." Taylor's husbands were: Conrad "Nicky" Hilton (May 6, 1950 – January 29, 1951): Taylor believed that she was in love with the young hotel heir, but also wanted to escape her mother. MGM staff designed Taylor's wedding dress and honeymoon outfits. Hilton's "gambling, drinking, and abusive behavior", however, horrified her and her parents, caused a miscarriage, and ended the marriage in divorce after nine months. Michael Wilding (February 21, 1952 – January 26, 1957): The "gentle" Wilding, 20 years older than Taylor, comforted her after leaving Hilton. After their divorce Taylor admitted that "I gave him rather a rough time, sort of henpecked him and probably wasn't mature enough for him." Michael Todd (February 2, 1957 – March 22, 1958): Todd's death ended Taylor's only marriage not to result in divorce. Although their relationship was tumultuous, she later called him one of the three loves of her life, along with Burton and jewelry. Eddie Fisher (May 12, 1959 – March 6, 1964): Fisher, Todd's best friend, consoled Taylor after Todd's death. They began an affair while Fisher was still married to Debbie Reynolds, causing a scandal; Taylor outraged columnist Hopper by telling her, "Well, Mike is dead and I'm alive...What do you expect me to do? ''Sleep alone''?" Reynolds eventually forgave Taylor; she voted for her when Taylor was nominated for an Oscar for ''BUtterfield 8'', and starred with her in ''These Old Broads''. Richard Burton (March 15, 1964 – June 26, 1974): The Vatican condemned Burton and Taylor's affair, which began when both were married to others, as "erotic vagrancy". The press closely followed their relationship before, during, and after their ten years of marriage, due to great public interest in "the most famous film star in the world and the man many believed to be the finest classical actor of his generation." Taylor wanted to focus on her marriage rather than her career, and gained weight in an unsuccessful attempt to not receive film roles. Richard Burton (October 10, 1975 – July 29, 1976): Sixteen months after divorcing—Burton said, "You can't keep clapping a couple of sticks [of dynamite] together without expecting them to blow up"—they remarried in a private ceremony in Kasane, Botswana, but soon separated and redivorced in 1976. Burton disagreed with others about her famed beauty, acknowledging her "wonderful eyes" but saying that calling her "the most beautiful woman in the world is absolute nonsense. She has...a double chin and an overdeveloped chest, and she's rather short in the leg." He stated, however, that when he first saw Taylor in 1952, "She was unquestionably gorgeous. I can think of no other word to describe a combination of plentitude, frugality, abundance, tightness. She was lavish. She was a dark unyielding largesse. She was, in short, too bloody much." John Warner (December 4, 1976 – November 7, 1982): As with Burton, Taylor sought to be known as the wife of her husband, a Republican United States Senator from Virginia. Unhappy with her life in Washington, however, Taylor became depressed and entered the Betty Ford Clinic. Larry Fortensky (October 6, 1991 – October 31, 1996): Taylor and Fortensky met during another stay at the Betty Ford Clinic and were married at the Neverland Ranch.

Taylor had many romances outside her marriages. Before marrying Hilton she was engaged to both Heisman Trophy winner Glenn Davis—who did not know until the relationship ended that Taylor's mother had encouraged it to build publicity for her daughter—and the son of William D. Pawley, the United States Ambassador to Brazil. Howard Hughes promised Taylor's parents that if they would encourage her to marry him, the enormously wealthy industrialist and film producer would finance a movie studio for her; Sara Taylor agreed, but Taylor refused. After she left Hilton, Hughes returned, proposing to Taylor by suddenly landing a helicopter nearby and sprinkling diamonds on her. Other dates included Frank Sinatra, Henry Kissinger, and Malcolm Forbes. In 2007, Taylor denied rumors of a ninth marriage to her partner Jason Winters, but referred to him as "one of the most wonderful men I've ever known."

Taylor had two sons, Michael Howard (born January 6, 1953) and Christopher Edward (born February 27, 1955), with Michael Wilding. She had a daughter, Elizabeth Frances "Liza" (born August 6, 1957), with Michael Todd. During her marriage to Eddie Fisher, Taylor started proceedings to adopt a two-year-old girl from Germany, Maria (born August 1, 1961); the adoption process was finalized in 1964 following their divorce. Richard Burton later adopted Taylor's daughters Liza and Maria.

In 1971, Taylor became a grandmother at the age of 39. At the time of her death, she was survived by her four children, ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Religion and identity

In 1959, at age 27, after nine months of study, Taylor converted from Christian Science to Judaism, taking the Hebrew name Elisheba Rachel. She stated that her conversion was something she had long considered and was not related to her marriages. After Mike Todd's death, Taylor said that she "felt a desperate need for a formalized religion," and explained that neither Catholicism nor Christian Science were able to address many of the "questions she had about life and death."

Biographer Randy Taraborrelli notes that after studying the philosophy of Judaism for nine months, "she felt an immediate connection to the faith." Although Taylor rarely attended synagogue, she stated, "I'm one of those people who think you can be close to God anywhere, not just in a place designed for worship . . . " At the conversion ceremony, with her parents present as witnesses and in full support of her decision, Taylor repeated the words of Ruth:

. . . for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.

Taylor was a follower of Kabbalah and a member of the Kabbalah Centre.

During an interview when she was 55, she describes how her inner sense of identity, when a child actress, kept her from giving in to many of the studio's demands, especially with regard to altering her appearance to fit in:

She adds that she began to recognize her "inner being" during her adulthood:

Jewelry, perfume and fashion

Taylor had a passion for jewelry, stating that "You can't cry on a diamond's shoulder, and diamonds won't keep you warm at night, but they're sure fun when the sun shines". At her death, Taylor's jewelry collection was reportedly worth $150 million. She was a client of jewelry designer Shlomo Moussaieff. Over the years she owned a number of well-known pieces, two of the most famous being the Krupp Diamond, which Taylor wore daily, and the pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond; both were among many gifts from husband Richard Burton. Taylor also owned the La Peregrina Pearl, purchased by Burton as a Valentine's Day present in 1969. The pearl was formerly owned by Mary I of England, and Burton sought a portrait of Queen Mary wearing the pearl. Upon the purchase of such a painting, the Burtons discovered that the British National Portrait Gallery did not have an original painting of Mary, so they donated the painting to the Gallery. Her enduring collection of jewelry has been documented in her book ''My Love Affair with Jewelry'' (2002) with photographs by the New York photographer John Bigelow Taylor.

At her death Taylor left an estate estimated at $600 million to $1 billion; beyond the $150 million in jewelry, she owned $130 million in real estate. Taylor was a pioneer in marketing a celebrity merchandise brand, and despite her years as an actress, most of Taylor's wealth came from her business ventures. She designed fine jewelry for The Elizabeth Collection, and launched three perfumes, "White Diamonds", "Passion", and "Passion for Men", which together had an estimated US$69 million in 2010 sales.

Taylor was a fashion icon during her years as an active film star. In addition to her own purchases, MGM costumers Edith Head and Helen Rose helped Taylor choose clothes that emphasized her face, chest, and waist. Taylor helped popularize Valentino and Halston's designs, and in the 1980s Schering-Plough developed violet contact lenses, citing Taylor's eyes as inspiration.

Activism

HIV/AIDS

Taylor devoted consistent and generous humanitarian time, advocacy efforts, and funding to HIV and AIDS-related projects and charities, helping to raise more than $270 million for the cause. She was one of the first celebrities and public personalities to do so at a time when few acknowledged the disease, organizing and hosting the first AIDS fundraiser in 1984, to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles.

Taylor was cofounder of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) with Dr. Michael Gottlieb and Dr. Mathilde Krim in 1985. Her longtime friend and former co-star Rock Hudson had disclosed having AIDS and died of it that year. She also founded the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1993, created to provide critically needed support services for people with HIV/AIDS. For example, in 2006 Taylor commissioned a "Care Van" equipped with examination tables and xray equipment, the New Orleans donation made by her Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Macy's. That year, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, she also donated US$40,000 to the NO/AIDS Task Force, a non-profit organization serving the community of those affected by HIV/AIDS in and around New Orleans.

Taylor was honored with a special Academy Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 1992 for her HIV/AIDS humanitarian work. Speaking of that work, former President Bill Clinton said at her death, "Elizabeth's legacy will live on in many people around the world whose lives will be longer and better because of her work and the ongoing efforts of those she inspired."

Jewish causes

After her conversion to Judaism, Taylor worked for Jewish causes throughout her life. In 1959, her large-scale purchase of Israeli Bonds caused Arab boycotts of her films. In 1962, she was barred from entering Egypt to complete ''Cleopatra''; its government announced that "that Miss Taylor will not be allowed to come to Egypt because she has adopted the Jewish faith and 'supports Israeli causes.'" In 1974, Taylor and Richard Burton considered marrying in Israel, but could not because Burton was not Jewish. Taylor helped to raise money for organizations such as the Jewish National Fund; advocated for the right of Soviet Jews to emigate to Israel and canceled a visit to the USSR because of its condemnation of Israel due to the Six-Day War; signed a letter protesting the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 of 1975; and offered herself as a replacement hostage during the 1976 Entebbe skyjacking.

Illnesses and death

Taylor struggled with health problems much of her life; starting with her divorce from Hilton, Taylor experienced serious medical issues whenever she faced problems in her personal life. Taylor was hospitalized more than 70 times and had at least 20 major operations. Many times newspaper headlines erroneously announced that Taylor was close to death; she herself only claimed to have almost died on four occasions.

At 5'4", Taylor constantly gained and lost significant amounts of weight, reaching both 119 pounds and 180 pounds in the 1980s. She smoked cigarettes into her mid-fifties, and feared she had lung cancer in October 1975 after an X-ray showed spots on her lungs, but was later found not to have the disease. Taylor broke her back five times, had both her hips replaced, had a hysterectomy, suffered from dysentery and phlebitis, punctured her esophagus, survived a benign brain tumor operation in 1997 and skin cancer, and faced life-threatening bouts with pneumonia twice, one in 1961 requiring an emergency tracheotomy. In 1983 she admitted to having been addicted to sleeping pills and painkillers for 35 years. Taylor was treated for alcoholism and prescription drug addiction at the Betty Ford Clinic for seven weeks from December 1983 to January 1984, and again from the autumn of 1988 until early 1989.

On May 30, 2006, Taylor appeared on ''Larry King Live'' to refute the claims that she had been ill, and denied the allegations that she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and was close to death. Near the end of her life, however, she was reclusive and sometimes failed to make scheduled appearances due to illness or other personal reasons. She used a wheelchair and when asked about it stated that she had osteoporosis and was born with scoliosis.

The mutation that gave Taylor her striking double eyelashes may also have contributed to her history of heart trouble. In November 2004, Taylor announced a diagnosis of congestive heart failure, a progressive condition in which the heart is too weak to pump sufficient blood throughout the body, particularly to the lower extremities such as the ankles and feet. In 2009 she underwent cardiac surgery to replace a leaky valve. In February 2011, new symptoms related to heart failure caused her to be admitted into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for treatment, where she remained until her death at age 79 on March 23, 2011, surrounded by her four children.

She was buried in a private Jewish ceremony, presided over by Rabbi Jerry Cutler, the day after she died, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Taylor is entombed in the Great Mausoleum, where public access to her tomb is restricted. At her request, the funeral began 15 minutes after it was scheduled to begin; as her representative told the media "She even wanted to be late for her own funeral."

Legacy

Taylor has been called the "greatest movie star of all," writes biographer William J. Mann. A child star at the age of 12, she soon after launched into public awareness by MGM and a string of successful films, many of which are today considered "classics." Her resulting celebrity made her into a Hollywood icon, as she set the "gold standard" for Hollywood fame, and "created the model for stardom," adds Mann.

Other observers, such as social critic Camille Paglia, similarly describe Taylor as "the greatest actress in film history," partly as a result of the "liquid realm of emotion" she expressed on screen. Paglia describes the effect Taylor had in some of her films:

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Taylor had a major role in sparking the sexual revolution of the 1960s, as she pushed the envelope on sexuality: She was one of the first major stars to pose (mostly) nude in ''Playboy,'' and among the first to remove her clothes onscreen. In ''A Place in the Sun'', filmed when she was 17, her surprising maturity shocked Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, who wrote of her precocious sexuality. Film historian Andrew Sarris describes her love scenes in the film with Montgomery Clift as "unnerving—sybaritic—like gorging on chocolate sundaes."

In real life, she was considered "a star without airs," notes Mann. Writer Gloria Steinem likewise described her as a "movie queen with no ego . . . expert at what she does, uncatty in her work relationships with other actresses." Mike Nichols, who directed her in ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1966), said that of all the actors he’s worked with, Taylor had the "most democratic soul." Mann adds that she treated electricians and studio crew the "same way she would a Rothschild at a charity gala." Director George Cukor told Taylor that she possessed "that rarest of virtues—simple kindness."

Awards and honors

Taylor won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, for her performance in ''BUtterfield 8'' in 1960, and for ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' in 1966. Additionally, she received the Jean Herscholt Humanitarian Academy Award in 1992 for her work fighting AIDS.

In 1997, Taylor was honored by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) with the Life Achievement Award. As Taylor could not be in attendance, Gregory Peck read the following statement on her behalf:

Taylor received the French Legion of Honour in 1987, and in 2000 was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 2001, she received a Presidential Citizens Medal for her humanitarian work, most notably for helping to raise more than $200 million for AIDS research and bringing international attention and resources to addressing the epidemic. Taylor was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2007.

Books

Taylor was the subject of at least 53 books as of 2006; Kitty Kelley wrote the first unauthorized biography of the actress in 1981, which Taylor denounced. She never wrote a comprehensive autobiography due to her desire for privacy, but did publish several books besides ''My Love Affair with Jewelry''. Taylor's first, ''Nibbles and Me'' (1946), discussed the child star's "adventures with her pet chipmunk". Reviewers criticized another, ''Elizabeth Taylor'' (1964), for being uninteresting and lacking in new information. She received a $750,000 advance payment for ''Elizabeth Takes Off: On Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Self-Image and Self-Esteem'' (1988).

Filmography

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF)

"60 Minutes" interview (1970) video, 10 minutes

"Carroll Baker on Elizabeth Taylor", video, 2 minutes

Elizabeth Taylor: Unpublished Pics – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

Elizabeth Taylor Resource Extensive biography, separate entries for each film, TV, stage, news archive, photographs, etc.

Elizabeth Taylor photo tribute at Flickr

FBI file on Elizabeth Taylor

American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)

Kennedy Center bio. for Elizabeth Taylor

Literature on Elizabeth Taylor

Interactive Timeline

Category:1932 births Category:2011 deaths Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients Category:Activists from California Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from London Category:Actresses awarded British damehoods Category:AIDS activists Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actress Academy Award winners Category:Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Category:California Republicans Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in California Category:Converts to Judaism Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Category:Deaths from congestive heart failure Category:English child actors Category:English emigrants to the United States Category:English film actors Category:English Jews Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:Former Christian Scientists Category:GLAAD Media Awards winners Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish activists Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:Presidential Citizens Medal recipients Category:Skin cancer survivors Category:Spouses of United States Senators Category:Spouses of Virginia politicians Category:University High School (Los Angeles, California) alumni Category:Virginia Republicans

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